Skip to main content

Bonding or Veneers: Which Is Best for Me?

Bonding or Veneers: Which Is Best for Me?

Your teeth are in fairly good shape, but some minor imperfections or discoloration stand in the way of the smile of your dreams. 

Through our cosmetic dentistry services, the dental experts here at Peninsula Dental Excellence, including Drs. Colin Au and Jeff Yoshihara, have the tools you need to meet your goals. While there are many ways we can makeover your smile, dental bonding, and dental veneers are among the more popular.

Here, we review each of these excellent options so that you can decide which treatment will bring out the best in your smile.

Dental bonding

With dental bonding, we apply a composite resin material to your teeth to address several different issues, including:

Think of dental bonding as a sculptor does clay. We shape the composite resin over your tooth to hide the imperfection, and then we harden the resin with ultraviolet light.

We can also color the composite resin so that it fits in seamlessly with your existing teeth, giving you a uniform row of teeth you’ll be proud to show off.

Dental veneers

When it comes to covering up imperfections in your smile zone, dental veneers excel. With dental veneers, we place wafer-thin porcelain shells over the fronts of your teeth to hide:

To make room for the veneers, we remove a thin layer of enamel from your teeth, at which point we take an impression and send these data to a lab lab to custom manufacture your veneers. When your veneers are ready, you return to our office, and we bond them into place.

Bonding versus veneers

While bonding and veneers can greatly improve your smile, some key differences exist.  

A comparison of materials

First, dental veneers, made from stain-resistant porcelain, will resist discoloration and staining better than composite resin. The porcelain is also stronger than the composite resin we use for bonding. As a result, dental veneers last longer — 10 years or more — while bonding lasts 3-10 years.

Comparing economics and time

Dental bonding is a good option economically speaking as the treatment costs less than veneers. We can also perform dental bonding in just one visit and don’t need to use any anesthesia in most cases.

With dental veneers, you’ll need to visit our office a few times so that we can prepare your teeth and then place the veneers. 

If you’re comparing time and financial considerations in the future, veneers may make more sense as they last longer and won’t need replacing as often as bonding.

A permanent or temporary solution

If you opt for dental veneers, this decision is permanent as we remove enamel from your teeth to make room for your veneers. With dental bonding, your commitment isn’t as great as we don’t alter your teeth in any way.

Ultimately, we find dental veneers are great for people who want a complete smile makeover, while bonding is a great solution for quick fixes of problems like chips, cracks, and gaps.

In the end, the decision is yours to make, and we’re happy to provide you with any additional information you might need. Please contact our office in Mountain View, California, to learn more about dental bonding and veneers.

You Might Also Enjoy...

Root Canal — The Road to Pain Relief

Each year in the United States, about 15 million root canal procedures are performed, helping millions to find much-needed relief from pain and, perhaps more importantly, help them hold onto their teeth.
Tooth-Colored Fillings — Checking All the Boxes

Tooth-Colored Fillings — Checking All the Boxes

Fillings have long been one of the most valuable workhorses in dentistry, but our ability to make them blend seamlessly into your mouth raised the bar even higher. Here’s why tooth-colored fillings excel in so many areas.
My Gums Are Bleeding — Should I Be Concerned?

My Gums Are Bleeding — Should I Be Concerned?

Seeing blood when you’re doing something as harmless as brushing your teeth can be disconcerting. But it can also be a wake-up call. Here’s a look at when you should be concerned about bleeding gums.
 The Truth About Mouthwash

The Truth About Mouthwash

You’re anxious to do the best you can to take care of your teeth and gums at home, but you’re unsure where mouthwash fits in and whether it’s even necessary. Here are some points to consider.
 Are Dental Implants Always Better Than Bridges?

 Are Dental Implants Always Better Than Bridges?

You’re missing a tooth or two and want to explore your replacement options. While dental implants have certainly taken restorative dentistry by storm, other options exist, including the tried-and-true dental bridge.
5 Telltale Signs of a Dental Emergency

5 Telltale Signs of a Dental Emergency

Maybe you’re used to just toughing things out, or you’re not sure what constitutes a medical emergency when it comes to your teeth and gums. To help, here are five signs that you could really benefit from expert dental care.